#sarai && ahalya 01

[saraiayutthaya]

closed starter @ahalyaxreddy

Sarai wandered into Urban Harvest, looking around the different aisles, filled with fresh produce, breads, and canned goods. While she hated crowds, she enjoyed coming on weekdays when almost everyone was at work. The market would be practically empty, allowing her to take her time and sample all the seasonal offerings. As she made her way past a display of fresh honey, she spotted Ahalya. A smile spread across Sarai's face as she approached her friend. It had been months since they last caught up and it was time to say hello. "I was hoping to run into you here," Sarai said, greeting Ahalya cheerfully. "How's your day been so far?" It was nice to run into a familiar face here. 

[saraiayutthaya]

Sarai let out a laugh as she listened to Ahalya. "I can imagine you've been busy restocking all the kale and healthy foods people buy for their resolutions." New Year meant new resolutions. In a few weeks, it was all about to go down the drain, though. She knew how resolutions worked. "Once Valentine's Day comes around, you're going to have to do the same with chocolates." 

The visit to the market wasn't for social reasons. She was planning on making a soufflé for dinner that night and needed some high-quality cheddar cheese. "I'm attempting a three-cheese soufflé. It's my first time making one, so I'm a little nervous," she admitted. Cooking was a chore. Unlike some she knew, she only cooked when she craved something. 

"Do you have any good aged cheddar in stock? I want to make sure I get the best ingredients." Quality ingredients were key for a soufflé. The eggs and cheese needed to be just right to achieve that perfect, fluffy texture. She'd been reading recipes and watching YouTube videos all week in preparation. Her parents were coming over for dinner, so she wanted it to be perfect. Why she decided to get all fancy, she didn’t know, but she was committed now—no use in turning back.

When the woman approached her, of course Ahalya recognized her. Sarai Ayutthaya. She’d written about one of the restaurants in town and how the food was of subpar quality which she blamed not on the chef. No, it was blamed on the produce. Which had come from their shop. Which was why she couldn’t help but be slightly on edge when the other approached her. It was unfair, and she had to school her thoughts that she couldn’t continue to hold onto petty grudges like that when Sarai had just been doing her job. But Urban Harvest had benefitted from a feel-good piece decades ago when her parents first started it. And to think that under her direction, the store had been forced to weather bad press was hard to drop.

“Good, we’re just dealing with the New Year’s resolution craze. All the kale is gone in a second, and meanwhile the chocolate sits on the shelf until February.” Realizing that it made it sound like they didn't change inventory, she quickly qualified. “Of course, we bring new inventory. We don't keep the same chocolate out until February.” She tried to respond with a smile, though it was one that didn’t reach her eyes. And that made her feel bad again, so she tried to overcompensate by being extra nice. “How are you? Did you come in here looking for something specific? Maybe I can help you find it?” Though it wasn’t all selfless. Sarai did not review grocery stores ( at least, Ahalya didn’t think so ) but she would ensure she only got the best of the best when she walked out. | @saraiayutthaya

[saraiayutthaya]

“That would be great. I can’t cook everyday.” If it was up to her, she would go to her parent’s place to eat every day, but she didn’t want to be that kid who expected her mom to cook for her. She wasn’t useless, thank you very much… Again, the fact that Ahalya was being salty flew past her head. "You can count me in for a visit. I’m not trying to eat at restaurants everyday and coming here would be supporting local business, right?"

Of course, Ahalya was right. Quality was important. That was something she valued deeply and often sought in her reviews. "Quality is everything," she nodded. "It's what makes or breaks an experience. Your father sounds like a wise man, and it's clear that his philosophy has served Urban Harvest well."

Now why didn’t she think of that before? Maybe if she threatened her family with  pajamas, they might tell her to stay home… "Pajamas would certainly make a statement at the auction," she joked, her eyes crinkling with mirth. "But I'm sure whatever you wear, you'll look great." When did Ahalya not look good, though?

She watched as the other woman entered the product code and weighed the cheese, before she reached for her wallet. Handing her card over, she smiled. "I hope to see you at the auction. It should be an interesting evening, to say the least," she said, inwardly wincing. "Take care, Ahalya, and good luck with the buffet. I'll definitely swing by to order something soon." With that, she gathered her things, waved goodbye, and left the store—her mind already wandering to the Cheese Souffle she would be making that this evening.

COMPLETED

That was true of course. Cooking was a useful skill to have. One that Ahalya had, on many occasions, attempted to pick up herself. The result was often burnt pots and an intense arm workout consisting of scrubbing. Which was why these days, she very much resorted to just ordering food or stealing it from her store ( or would that be considered embezzlement )? “Well I’ll have you know that for days that you aren’t feeling like cooking, we offer an amazing buffet of options of the working woman.” And it was after the sales pitch that Ahalya wondered if it was a good idea to be inviting Sarai to their store while she was on the job. “But even better for those who are off the clock,” she quickly amended. Because she could not afford another negative review, this time directly targeting her store.

Though her worries were assuaged slightly when Sarai praised her and the store in the same breath. And her conscience was pricked. Because here she was being petty and Sarai was proving time and time again that she either did not remember her review or that she had long since decided to give Urban Harvest a second chance. And when she could, why couldn’t Ahalya? “Thank you, it’s all because of my father. He always tells every employee, including me, that we pride ourselves on quality. And that is the one thing we will never sacrifice or cut corners on.” It was why he had earned himself such a good reputation in town.

Ahalya did not particularly look forward to the auction, especially considering her reasons for throwing her hat in the ring were hardly admirable. They were actually quite pathetic. But that was not something she was about to share with Sarai. Instead, she just gave the other woman a smile as she began to enter in the product code for her block of cheese before weighing it. “I’ll have to. I can’t be standing up there in my pajamas.” Which was what she otherwise would have been wearing on Valentine’s Day, if not for the stupid idea to put herself up for auction.

Telling Sarai how much she owed, Ahalya laughed genuinely when Sarai brought up her mother. “We should never let our mothers meet. They will exchange tips on how to convince their daughters to do whatever they want. And it’s taken me years to learn how to counter my mom’s tactics without her learning new ones from yours.” But she sympathized with her predicament, because Geeta Reddy would undoubtedly have done the same thing if she knew. “Yeah, I’m glad to know I’m not the only reluctant contestant. It’s reassuring,” she said, offering her a small bag with her cheese. “Here you are. I hope your souffle turns out well.” | @saraiayutthaya

[saraiayutthaya]

"Cooking is a useful skill to have." Sarai said. She might not always be in the mood to cook, but she tried to do it just so she would have more control over what she put into her body. When she first started, she knew nothing. Her mom helped, but what helped was attending cooking classes. Having someone to learn alongside made the experience more fun. 

When the other expressed her extensive knowledge of the market's offerings, she was duly impressed. In her opinion, everyone should be knowledgeable when it came to their job. "You really know your stuff. It's clear you put a lot of care into choosing only the best products to sell here." She truly liked coming to this place. Their dedication at producing the best quality food, showed a real dedication to quality that she could respect as both a customer and food writer.

As they approached the register, she felt her stomach dropping as she thought about the coming auction. She was a bit embarrassed to admit she was part of the auction. Not because she didn’t want to do good for charity, but because she’d been roped in by her mom. "That’s great news," she remarked with a small smile. She completely understood Ahalya's hesitation—having felt the same way when her mom first suggested it. "Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll find something great to wear. And at least if we're both up there, we'll have a friendly face in the crowd." 

She gave an empathetic smile, knowing that she was probably not helping, but at least she wasn't alone in her auction-related nerves. "My mom can be very persuasive when she wants to be. I just didn't have the energy to argue." She nearly rolled her eyes, persuasive was not a big enough word to describe her mom. Her mother's stubborn determination was the only reason Sarai couldn’t bring herself to say no. "Hopefully, it won't be as bad as we're imagining. Maybe we'll even have fun." Yeah right… She doubted that. "Either way, I'm glad we’re both up for bid.” As they say, misery loves company… 

By god’s grace. She could hear her father’s voice in the back of her mind answering Sarai’s compliment. That was the reminder she needed to be more like him and drop her pettiness. Because it was clear that Sarai did not remember the negative review that she had written. And why would she? Over the course of her work, she probably wrote a number of negative reviews. What were the odds that she would remember every single one, especially when the reference to Urban Harvest had been so passing in nature. The memory was a bitter one for Ahalya only because she had felt she failed her father by causing negative publicity the moment she took over. Otherwise, she would have nothing against the woman in her company. “That makes sense. If I had the talent, I probably would as well.” But she severely lacked in the cooking department. Maybe one of these days she’d take lessons from someone.

As the freshly wrapped block of cheese was offered back, Ahalya gave a grateful nod to the employee, Jason. They’d exchanged a knowing glance earlier and as much as she trusted him, she noted that he had also taken extra care to ensure that the cheddar offered back to her was pristine. God, she could kiss him right now! The conversation veered right back towards the store and this time, Ahalya wore a genuine and proud smile. It had taken time, but she really did know the ins and outs of this store. “I try to. Everything here is locally sourced, as best as we can of course. And I end up trying everything before we stock it to make sure that it is worthy of sitting on our shelves.” Maybe it felt nice to explain to the woman who, at a time questioned them, precisely that their process was. And maybe it felt nice to get affirmation from someone who once questioned her.

As they walked to the register, Ahalya was surprised as Sarai shared that that she was being auctioned. But the dread in her voice resonated with Ahalya. “Funny enough, I am.” She confessed for the first time to someone. “It was a completely spur of the moment decision. I pressed enter before I could chicken out and I’ve been desperate foraging through my closet for something to wear.” Because it had been years since she’d been on a proper date that required her to pull out something nicer than a sweater dress at most. “At least you have someone else to blame. I’m my own worst enemy apparently.” | @saraiayutthaya

[saraiayutthaya]

"Oh yes, I'm sure business is booming for you all the time," she said, having no clue that Ahalya was irritated by her bad review. Having given so many, she couldn’t recall the incident. Perhaps if she was aware of what she had done, she probably wouldn’t dare to come around. When Ahalya commented that she would eat out for every meal if she had her job, Sarai laughed. "It definitely has its perks, but it does get old. Plus all those rich, heavy restaurant meals aren't always the healthiest." Not like she was a health nut, but she didn’t want to have to deal with health problems in the future. She also believed—too much of a good thing could lead to bad consequences. "If I could help it, I like being able to cook for myself and have control over what goes into my body."

She supposed the other was right, it was wild of her to try making such a hard dish. However, she was also one who liked to experiment. Of course, there was also the fact that she didn’t want to hear her mom telling her not to waste money by eating out all the time. The matriarch of her family loved cooking, though, mama would never understand why people would willingly throw away their money on takeout. "I just really wanted one, and it's a fun challenge." A brow rose when Ahalya took the cheddar cheese she’d been holding away, but followed the other woman to the cheese counter anyway—her gaze flickering around the area as the worker sliced her a fresh piece. "You really know your products, don’t you?” She said to Ahalya before gratefully looking at the other employee who had sliced and wrapped up another block of cheddar, “This looks wonderful, thank you.”

Thinking about the auction made a groan pass her lips. She didn’t want to think about it—her mom had strong armed her into signing up. "I'm being auctioned off actually," she said with a pained smile. "It was my mom's idea, not mine. She thought it would be good for me." She shook her head, already dreading having to stand on stage while people bid on her. "I'm not looking forward to it, but what can you do?" She shrugged helplessly. The thought of it made her heart race anxiously. "Tell me you’re up for the bid, I could use company up there."

“That’s true. I’m eternally grateful for that.” No thanks to you, she thought internally. Again, Ahalya had to remind herself of her New Years resolution. She was going to leave negativity behind in 2023. Including her petty grudge. Besides, the negative review had cost them one client that had been unreasonable to begin with anyways. They didn’t suffer too much. So there was no reason for her to be as salty as she was. It was only because of the bad timing of the review which coincided with her father’s ailment that had her continue with the chip on her shoulder. But Sarai, given how she was behaving, maybe didn’t even remember? If she didn’t, Ahalya wasn’t sure she wanted to be the one to refresh her memory that, oh by the way, you said that our produce was trash and no one should ever come to us for anything that isn’t processed as shit. Sure, Ahalya was paraphrasing, but that was the gist she remembered.

“That’s surprising. Honestly, if I had your job, I’d eat out for every single meal.” Then again, she figured that being a food critic required far more skill than just going and stuffing her face. Which was what Ahalya would have done were she in Sarai’s line of work. “I own a grocery store and I barely cook. I’d have no motivation to do so if I got paid to eat.” Again, a reductive way to discuss what was likely a complicated job. “Isn’t a souffle hard? You’re just going to make it for yourself, because you’re craving it?” What a wild concept. Ahalya either demanded her mother give her the food she wanted or she invested in Uber Eats to satisfy her late night cravings. The latter was not great for her wallet, so she relied on Geeta Reddy’s kitchen more often than she’d like to admit.

As Sarai pulled out a block of cheese, Ahalya nodded along with the choice. It seemed safe enough. Nothing too wrong with it, right? Wrong! The corner of the plastic seemed slightly torn and she was not about to let her walk out with that. “Actually, you know what would be even better. Let’s get you a freshly cut piece. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that in the first place.” Nabbing the block out of her hand, she ushered her towards their fresh cheeses, asking the employee behind the counter to get her a fresh slice of aged cheddar. While they were waiting Ahalya nodded. “Yeah, I am. I love love. And the day of love.” Sort of. Though the statement sounded sarcastic, she was a romantic at heart. It was just that saying Mommy met your dad when he paid for her and she couldn’t leave for two hours didn’t have the same ring to it. “Are you?” | @saraiayutthaya

[saraiayutthaya]

“I know it’s a pain, but at least the business is thriving, right?” Sarai offered with a laugh. She knew she wouldn’t like being in Ahalya’s shoes. She’d tried working retail back in high school and dealing with rude people for two years was enough to tell her she had no future in that line of work. Reviewing was far more up her alley and from what she could recall, she’d given the Urban Harvest a pretty good review. She had to, otherwise Ahalya would have said something by now, right? 

"Yeah, most people think that, but I can’t eat out all the time.” That could either be great or a curse, since she didn’t always hit the jackpot on assignment. "I cook more often than you'd think, actually.” Most of the time, it was easy cuisines, but cooking was still cooking. “I try to cook things I actually want to eat. This soufflé is something I’ve been craving for days." She watched the other’s hands move—picking through the cheeses, before she pointed to a block of cheddar that looked promising. "That one looks good, let's go with that. I hope it goes well.” 

Since she’d invited her parents over, she didn’t want to disappoint. She might also have another agenda behind her attempt to make something so flashy—she wanted to impress her mom who was always worried she might not be feeding herself well. Looking at her watch, she saw she had just enough time to finish up her shopping before heading home to cook. Tricky baking awaited, but she was nervous. Would her mom be impressed or would she end up with food poisoning instead? "By the way, are you going to the Valentine's day auction event?"

“Ding, ding, ding. That is exactly what is happening.” Ahalya affirmed as Sarai so accurately guessed what her past few weeks at the store had been like. Hence why for the time being they were forced to overstock all sorts of health foods. Even though they generally sourced locally, there were definitely days when the supply was vastly insufficient for the demand. Today, luckily for her, was not such a day. They had just gotten a new shipment and though it was not out on the shelves yet, she figured that for the sake of business, she could give Sarai the freshest ingredients, lest she write yet another bad review.

Ahalya, stop! The internal dialogue reminding her that bygones were best left bygones continued, as she walked through the store with the critic in tow, leading her towards the cheeses. “I didn’t realize you actually cooked.” She shared without really thinking much about the statement, preoccupied with thoughts of whether or not they had put out everything they had in terms of options for aged cheddar. “I assumed that you always just ate out and wrote it off as a business expense.” Which it would be of course. That was her profession so it made sense that she would. So she was honestly surprised to find out that even restaurant critics cooked meals for themselves.

“Do you cook often?” Because Ahalya did not and she did not know the C in cooking but she knew for sure that for someone who did not venture into the kitchen often, a souffle would absolutely require immense skill and technique. Would she have picked such a thing to try? No. She would have rather had someone else make it for her and act like it was homemade before she tried and made a fool of herself. Stopping in front of the cheeses, she starting to pick through to find the best block, though subtly in case Sarai was inspecting and suspecting that some were lower quality than others. Again, the paranoia was impossible to shake. | @saraiayutthaya